The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-04-16
FARM WORK FOR APRIL.

/ The Maryland Farmer makes the following sug-
gestions for work on the farm this month:
This is truly the opening month of the farmers
labor for the year. It is necessary this month
that every farmer should be briskly engaged in
forwarding his work. If he falls behind now, he
will be behind all the year. Much is now to be
done, and Immediately, if he has not been fortu-
nate to have done most of it last month. Flowing
is to be pushed on, manure hauled and spread
plaster to be sown, fences and gates to be put in
order new ones made, bitches to be cleaned out,
briars and bushes to be cleaned off the fields and
along the fences and ditch banks. Stock to be
particularly cared for at this season. The orchards
to be trimmed and the trees dressed with some
sort of wash that will cleanse the bark and destroy
insects; good wash is made of soft soap, ashes,
a little salt and sulphur mixed to the consistency
of white wash, rather thick and applied to the
trunks and larger limbs with a whitewash brush
a mop made of sheep skin with wool on.
There are great many other things to be done
by way of making a fair start in the years work,
which will suggest themselves from day to day to
the thoughtful manager OF farm, and which
should be done at once or a note made in the farm
book, that it might not be forgotten when such
matters must be attended to or be too late.
Oats.-This crop, if not sown before, should be
sown at the first moment the ground permits, after
it has been we'll prepared and fertiized. Sow
and roll or brush in the seed
Stock of all Kinds.-Look well to your working
horses, as they require good feed, good grooming
and good quarters now, when they are shedding
their coats and hard work is beginning.
Mich Cows-These require liberal feeding and
attention at this season, especially those that are
fresh and have young calves. narrowing sows
require much care and comfortable dry pens, each
one in pen to herself at least for two weeks be-
fore she is expected to farrow. Sheep should, if
possible, be separated, and the ewes with young
lambs and those soon to have lambs should be put
to themselves, if possible, on rye field or good
grass, and put up at night in a pen where they
| can go under shelter which has dry floor COW
sTsd Ejth vsssans Give them at least once
day turnips and once day oats and chopped
corn-plenty of fresh clean water with what salt
they may want.
| Plo0ing-Do all the blowing that can be done
| this month, and see that the pillow men do good
| work, that is, cut even burrows, well turned and
leave strips between the bottom of the burrows
unturned, which is very common fault, that is
not observable to the casual locker: on, because
being at the bottom is covered by the next furrow.
Let the burrows be of even depth, not six inches
in soft ground and in hard places three inches.
Plow deep if the soil is Deep but pillow never less
than six inches deep, if poor soil is brought
up. Let each blowing of Turf land be deeper than
when last the turf was broken until you have nine
or ten inches of mellow soil, full of humus or de.
caying vegetable matter. If the subsoil be o
hard pan we advise to break it at least three or
four inches in each furrow, with the subsoil pillow
following after the turning pillow. Let it be a
rule never to pillow or harrow land when too wet if
you are by wet season forced to wait month.
If the land is too moist holds water drain it by
open bitches or under drains. 1t will repay any
reasonable outlay of money for this purpose.
COrn-If the weather is good and your ground
in fine order plant corn as soon as you can. Be
sure and get the best seed corn if your own does
not entirely suit you. But do not plant all your
crop of kind which you have personal know
ledge of, however highly it may be recommended.
1t is we'll to try small quantity of new varieties,
and give them fair test with the best that you
| or your neighbors have. There is no crop which
| improves more than by careful selection of
seed and occasionally crossing it with other corn
| from a distance. acclimatizing Northern corn,
which sown in our climate becomes different ar
tice entirely from what it is in its native home,
and adds early maturity to our usually late varie-
ties. We have found all grain from the North of
US did better the second year than grain from the
South of US. Corn is yet destined to be made far
more prolific and valuable. Its culture and i'm
provement has been too long shamefully neglect
ed, but intelligence and we'll directed experiments
have already done much and given assurance that
it will be ere long greatly increased in its real
merit and made the most wonderfully productive
of any cereal that ever grew.